Dallas attorneys to prosecute Kim and Eric Williams for Kaufman County DA murders

Dallas attorneys to prosecute Kaufman County DA murders

District attorney Mark Hasse was gunned down January 31 on his way to work.
texasancestors.com

Kim Williams has confessed to her role in the murders.
Photo courtesy of Kaufman County sheriff's office

Eric Williams has denied any involvement in the murders.
Photo courtesy of Kaufman County sheriff's office

Kim and Eric Williams have been indicted on three counts of capital murder in the deaths of Kaufman County district attorneys Mark Hasse and Mike McLelland and McLelland's wife, Cynthia. Eric Williams also faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat.

Kaufman County district attorney Erleigh Norville Wiley announced the indictments June 27. She also said her office had recused itself from the investigation due to a conflict of interest. Wiley was appointed to replace McLelland after his death.

The case first captivated the nation on January 31, when Hasse was gunned down outside the Kaufman Courthouse on his way to work.

Dallas attorneys Bill Wirskye and Toby Shook will serve as special prosecutors for the case, which will be presided over by a visiting judge. Wirskye and Shook are primarily criminal defense attorneys, but both have extensive experience in the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.

The case first captivated the nation on January 31, when Hasse was gunned down outside the Kaufman Courthouse on his way to work. The McLellands were killed in their home on March 30.

Leads were scarce for months, and authorities focused mainly on white supremacist gangs, at one point even investigating Mexican drug cartels for possible motives. But it appears the real culprits were not gangsters but Kaufman County citizens with a grudge.

Eric Williams, 46, was arrested April 13 after authorities searched the Williams' home and found evidence of a threatening email to Kaufman County officials on March 31 — the day after the McLellands were killed.

Williams was a justice of the peace in Kaufman when he was accused of stealing three computer monitors. Hasse and McLelland doggedly pursued the case against Williams, who was eventually convicted and lost his law license. He was on probation for the theft when the pair of district attorneys were killed.

Kim Williams was arrested April 17 on capital murder charges. She confessed to having a role in the murders, including driving the getaway car. Mrs. Williams has said that her husband, Eric, was the shooter. He has denied any involvement in the murders.

The smoking gun in the case was the Williams' storage unit in Seagoville, where authorities reportedly found a large cache of weapons and a car matching a description to the getaway vehicle in McLelland's murder.

District attorney Mark Hasse was gunned down January 31 on his way to work.
texasancestors.com

Kim Williams has confessed to her role in the murders.
Photo courtesy of Kaufman County sheriff's office

Eric Williams has denied any involvement in the murders.
Photo courtesy of Kaufman County sheriff's office